The Guard forms the very backbone of the Imperium; without it, Mankind would surely perish. Whilst Guardsmen are hardly the equals of Space Marines, fighting neither with the advantages of genetic enhancement or the most powerful personal weaponry, the Guard possesses the courage and the manpower to face and annihilate the enemies of the Emperor across the galaxy” (sic).
In my previous post I reviewed the SRs, Troops and Dedicate Transports of the Codex: Astra Militarum. I did a brief analysis of the troops, which are the main Scoring units of the Astra Militarum. For my second post I will review the units that the Imperial Guards can add to their lists. There are good, bad and vapid units; we will point out the units that can make a difference in the field with their speed and Special abilities.Elite choice:
- Ogryns (130): The unit is composed of 2 Ogryns and 1 Ogryn Bone’ead. They have the Hammer of Wraith, Stubborn and Very Bulky SR. The wargear of the unit is Flakk armour, Ripper Gun and Frag Grenades. You can take up to seven more Ogryns for 40 P/mdl. The squad may take a Chimera or a Taurox as a Dedicated Transport.
- Bullgryns (145): The unit is composed of 2 Bullgryns and 1 Bullgryn Bone’ead. They have the Hammer of Wraith, Stubborn and Very Bulky SR. The wargear of the unit is Carapace armour, Grenadier gauntlet, Frag Grenades and Sladshield (whenever models with Sladshield are in base contact with each other, they gain +1 SV, in addition any model that gets cover from them gets +1 to its cover). You can take up to seven more Bullgryns for 45 P/mdl. Any model may replace his Grenadier gauntlet and Sladshield with a Power Maul and Brute Shield (5+ inv and re-rolls failed to wound rolls of Hammer of Wraith) for 15P. The squad may take a Chimera or a Taurox as a Dedicated Transport.
- Ratlings (30): The unit is composed of 3 Ratlings. They have Stealth, Infiltrate and Shoot Sharp and Scarper (they can shoot and then run) SR. The wargear of the unit is Flakk armour, Laspistol and Sniper rifle. You can take up to seven more Ratlings for 10 P/mdl.
- Wyrdvane Psykers (60): The unit is composed of 5 Wyrdvane Psykers. They have Brotherhood of Psykers (Master lvl 1 and generate their powers from Biomancy, Divination, Pyromancy and Telekinesis) SR. The wargear of the unit is Flakk armour, Laspistol and CCW. You can take up to five more Wyrdvane Psykers for 12 P/mdl. The squad may take a Chimera or a Taurox as a Dedicated Transport.
- Militarum Tempestus Platoon: Composted of 1-3 Militarum Tempestus Scions and may include 1 Militarum Tempestus Command Squad.
1. Militarum Tempestus Command Squad (85P): The unit is composed of four Tempestus Scions and one Tempestor Prime. They have Clarion Vox-net, Deep Strike, Move through Cover and the Primer Voice of Command SR. The wargear of the unit is Carapace armour, Hot-shot Lasgun, Frag and Krak Grenades for the Scions and CCW with Hot-shot Pistol for the Prime. The Scion can take either a Vox-caster (5P), a Medi-pack (15P), and a Platoon Standard (10P), once an item is assigned it is no longer available for the squad in question. Any Scion that hasn’t taken any Special Gear, can take one Special Weapon. The Prime can take items from the Melee Weapon List and exchange his Hot-shot Pistol for a Bolt Pistol or Plasma Pistol. Also the unit can take a Chimera or a Taurox Prime as a dedicated transport.
2. Militarum Tempestus Scions (70P): Are composed of four Tempestus Scions and one Tempestor (sergeant). You can take up to five more Scions for 12 P/mdl. The unit has the Deep Strike and Move through Cover SR. The wargear of the unit is Carapace armour, Hot-shot Lasgun, Frag and Krak Grenades for the Scions and CCW with Hot-shot Pistol for the Tempestor. The Tempestor can take items from the Melee Weapon List and exchange his Hot-shot Pistol for a Bolt Pistol or a Plasma Pistol. The scions can take a Vox-caster (5P) and up to two can exchange their Hot-shot Lasguns with a Special Weapon. Also the unit can take a Taurox Prime as a Dedicated Transport.
Fast Attack choice:- Scout Sentinel Squadron (35): Scout Sentinel is a Vehicle (Walker, Open-topped) with the Move through Cover and Scout SR. You may take up to two more for 35 P/mdl to make a Vehicle Squadron. It has a Multi-laser and can exchange it with a Heavy Flamer (free), Autocannon (5), Missile Launcher (5) or a Lascannon (10).
- Armoured Sentinel Squadron (40): Armoured Sentinel is a Vehicle (Walker) with no Special Rules. You may take up to two more for 40 P/mdl to make a Vehicle Squadron. It has a Multi-laser and can exchange it with a Heavy Flamer (free), Autocannon (5), Missile Launcher (5) or a Lascannon (10).
- Rough Riders (55): The unit is composed of 4 Rough Riders and 1 Rough Riders Sergeant. They are a Cavalry unit type. The wargear of the unit is Flakk armour, Laspistol, CCW, Frag and Krak Grenades and Hunting Lance. You can take up to five more Rough Riders for 11 P/mdl. The Sergeant may replace his Laspistol and/or CCW with a Plasma Pistol or a Power Weapon and he may take a Melta bomb. Up to two Rough Riders may replace their Hunting Lance with an item from the Special Weapon list.
- Hellhound Squadron: It’s a Vehicle (Tank, fast) with a Heavy Bolter as a secondary weapon and may exchange it with a Heavy Flamer (free) or a Multi-melta (10). It has 3 types depending on his Primary weapon the:
1. Hellhound(125): It has an Inferno Cannon
2. Devil Dog (135): It has an Melta Cannon
3. Bane Wolf(130): It has an Chem Cannon
- Valkyrie Squadron (125P): It’s a Vehicle (Flyer, Hover, and Transport) with the Grav Chute Insertion SR and a capacity of 12 models. For wargear it has a Multi-laser, two Hellstrike Missiles, Extra Armour and Searchlight. It may include up to two more Valkyries for 125 P/mdl. Any Valkyrie may replace its Multi-laser with a Lascannon (10) and its two Hellstrike Missiles for two Multiple rocket pods (10). Any Valkyrie may take a pair of Heavy Bolter sponsons (20).
- Vendetta Squadron (170P): It’s a Vehicle (Flyer, Hover, and Transport) with the Grav Chute Insertion SR and a capacity of 6 models. For wargear it has Three Twin-linked Lascannons, Extra Armour and Searchlight. It may include up to two more Vendettas for 170 P/mdl. Any Vendetta may replace two Twin-linked Lascannons with two Multiple rocket pods (free). Any Vendetta may take a pair of Heavy Bolter sponsons (20).
The Elite section of the Codex does not differ significantly from the previous Codex. The Ogryns, Rattling and the Wyrdvane Psykers retained their point cost; the Storm Troopers became the Militarum Tempestus Platoon; and there is also a new unit, the Bullgryns. Ogryns replaced their Furious charge with Hammer of Wraith. The Ratlings got the Shoot Sharp and Scarper SR. The old Psyker Battle Squad has change its name to Wyrdvane Psykers, lost the Overseer that was their “sergeant”, and got -1 to their LD (which is a big deal for psychic tests), but got access to Divination (which now makes them a good choice). The Storm Troopers got a new name, Militarum Tempestus Scions, and got a redaction of 15P. Also now you can take up to three squads for the same slot and a Command squad (for an extra order). The Elite section’s new toy is the Bullgryns and in my opinion their best build is with the Sladshields, as they get 3+ SV with T5 and give 4+ cover to units behind them. Lastly and sadly, with the Codex: Astra Militarum players lost the coolest Special Character in the game, Guardsman Marbo (Rambo). Only time will tell if we are going to see him again.
In the Fast Attack section we don’t have any new units and only slight changes. The Scout Sentinel stayed exactly the same. The Armoured Sentinel got 15 P cheaper, but lost Extra armour from its starting gear, which you can take for 15P; if you have some spare points it’s a good choice. Next, the Rough Riders got more expensive (and I can’t see why, as none ever used them) and lost the Mogul Kamir, a Special Character that they could get previously. The Hellhounds squad kept the Fast tank type that made them as good as they are, with a slight increase in their point cost. For the Valkyrie, I refer you inone of my previous posts. The Vendetta as was expected went from 130 to 170 P and lost half of its model capacity; even with their new point cost it is, if not the Best, one of the best Flyers in the game.From these two sections the squads that in my opinion can be part in a competitive list are:
- Vendetta
- Hellhound Squad
- Wyrdvane Psykers
- Militarum Tempestus Platoon
Unit’s valuation and performance in my opinion:
Unit | Better / Worse | P | Would I use them? |
Ogryns | ↓ | - | IG is a Shooting army and Ogryns aren’t, so no. |
Bullgryns | - | - | Yes, to cover my tanks. |
Ratlings | ↑ | - | Not really. |
Wyrdvane Psykers | - | - | Yes, but only for the Divination. |
Militarum Tempestus | ↑ | ↓ | If I had points and I wanted more units and an extra order then, yes. |
Scout Sentinel | - | - | I prefer his brother. |
Armoured Sentinel | ↑ | ↓ | For only 40P it is a good choice to draw fire from other units |
Rough Riders | ↓ | - | As with Ogryns they don’t provide any obvious advantage |
Hellhound | - | ↑ | Occasionally |
Valkyrie | ↓ | ↑ | Only as a transport, but I prefer the shooting power of its brother |
Vendetta | ↓ | ↑ | It is a must. If I had to pick three Fast Attack choices I would pick Vendettas. The easy and smart choice. |
Da Sergeant Major asked me what my job was an' I said it was to, uh, do what I was told. He said I was a genius and gave me another medal. I likes da Imperial Guard!
+++ Nork Deddog, Ogryn Bodyguard +++
Of course I would like to hear your opinion on this and all my previous posts, as well as suggestions for what you would like me to write about.
Next Post: Astra Militarum Review - Part 3: HQ, Heavy Support and Overview.
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Until next time remember Prospero and… |
VLKA FENRIKA